Although Netflix’s original content is hit or miss for me, there have been several that made a single month’s subscription totally worth it. In fact, some of my favorite movies from the past couple of years were from Netflix’s own catalog.

10

Don’t Look Up

I think of Don’t Look Up as a kind of spiritual successor to Idiocracy. When Kate Dibiasky (Jennifer Lawrence) discovers a comet that’s going to hit Earth, the world doesn’t react like you’d expect. People don’t believe it, conspiracy theories are built around it, and the media shrugs it off.

What’s particularly great about Don’t Look Up is the performances, especially by Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio. Their frustration with talking heads and politics will make you feel frustrated, but there’s also a genuine message of living in the moment underneath the cynicism.

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9

The King

The King is a rare breed of movies—gritty, medieval epics that I so adore, like Kingdom of Heaven, Braveheart, and The Green Knight. Better yet, The King stars two of my favorite actors, Timothée Chalamet and Robert Pattinson (both of whom appear more than once on this list).

If you liked the political intrigue of Game of Thrones, it’s present here, too. You get a glimpse into the pitfalls of being a king, the veiled threats nobles make, and yes, even medieval warfare.

8

Leave the World Behind

Leave the World Behind is a movie of extremes and how different people can react in the event of a total breakdown of a country’s infrastructure. More so, the situation eats away at each person, revealing who they become when the rules are gone.

It’s the best kind of slow burn that I love seeing in thrillers, especially psychological. You are in the dark just as much as the people on-screen, too, adding an extra layer of intrigue. The novel it’s based on, of the same name, went right on my to-read list!

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7

The Lost Daughter

The Lost Daughter is an emotionally powerful psychological movie that may be slow at times, but the build-up is worth it. This movie is like a thought piece on motherhood and how differently two people can handle it.

On the one hand, you have Leda (Olivia Coleman), who abandoned her children because she felt she was struggling to be a mother. On the other hand, you have Nina (Dakota Johnson), who has a young daughter and can’t fathom being away from her child. As the movie unfolds, you realize that both parties harbor some instability and secrets.

6

Marriage Story

Marriage Story is the perfect example of when Netflix gets it absolutely right. Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson (who work so well together) naturally play a couple who has been married for ten years and enter into a grueling divorce.

With a child between the two and a rich artistic and theater-based history that they share with one another, complications are bound to happen. What I love about this drama is that it is so raw and real, with outbursts and conversations you would expect from a real couple who is going through one of the most difficult challenges in their lives.

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5

The Power of the Dog

In Power of the Dog, two brothers, Phil and George, meet a woman named Rose who, unfortunately, lost her husband to suicide and has a son named Peter. Phil is judgmental of both Rose and Peter from the start, but George falls in love with and marries her. As the story unfolds, the characters face alcoholism, sexual repression, and internal battles that have made them who they are today.

Even though the story takes place in 1925, it is still highly relatable for many people of our modern times. It shines a light on how important it is for individuals to get to be themselves and what happens when they feel as if they can’t.

4

The Devil All the Time

Taking place in the 1950s, The Devil All the Time follows a preacher named Roy (Pattinson) who believes he can resurrect the dead, a man named Willard (Skarsgard) who believes that God can remove cancer from his wife’s body, and a boy named Arvin (Holland), who becomes an orphan and takes matters into his own hands when he wants to protect the ones he cares about.

Rife with crime, killings, religious drama, and more, this movie has a little bit of something for everyone. And the performances from some of my favorite actors were so moving that you had to love this movie, no matter how messed up it could be at times.

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3

I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore

I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore isn’t some bombastic tale—it’s a more down-to-earth scenario. Ruth (Melanie Lynskey) goes through life on autopilot, while also being painfully aware of how inconsiderate others are of the world and the people around them.

She connects with a stranger over a book, only for them to spoil one of the twists or a neighbor letting their dog poop in her yard, despite her sign or how the police do very little to help when her house is burglarized. At the end of the day, Ruth just wants people to care, and you’ll empathize with her like I did.

2

Gerald’s Game

Gerald’s Game follows Jessie and Gerald, a couple who are on a romantic getaway that quickly turns sour. When Gerald dies of a heart attack and Jessie is still handcuffed to the bed, that’s when things really start to get wild and Jessie slowly moves toward the brink of insanity.

When I think of some of my favorite book-to-movie adaptations, Gerald’s Game is one that frequently comes to mind, and Netflix did it justice. Not only was this mind-blowing original novel by Stephen King enough to get the blood rushing, but Mike Flanagan (who created the beloved Midnight Mass, Fall of the House of Usher, and more) did it again through his adaptation.

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1

His House

His House is a horror film that focuses on two refugees and their daughter, who start over in an English town after fleeing from war-torn South Sudan. The real horror starts from the moment they get adjusted in their new home, only to be met with racism, less-than-adequate living conditions, and strict restrictions, with the threat of deportation if they don’t comply.

The family changes everything about themselves so that they have a fighting chance at staying here and not going back to South Sudan. Unfortunately, things are about to get much worse for the family when they start to experience supernatural phenomena.

Not only were these Netflix original movies superb, but they were the best examples of what Netflix has to offer. Every one of these movies was worth an entire month’s subscription alone.